Al-Nassr head coach Ange Postecoglou said his decision to take off Cristiano Ronaldo came because his side needed a “different approach” during their 3-2 comeback win over Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo was substituted in the second half after Al-Nassr had fallen 2-0 behind and been reduced to 10 men following goalkeeper Bento’s dismissal. The change came as Postecoglou looked to reshape his team’s response to a difficult situation.
The substitution proved significant. Sadio Mane scored twice as Al-Nassr fought back to secure victory, despite playing for more than 60 minutes with a numerical disadvantage.
Ronaldo appeared visibly unhappy when he was taken off. His reaction became one of the main talking points after the match, prompting Postecoglou to explain his thinking during the post-match press conference.
The Al-Nassr manager said the decision was not simply a judgement on Ronaldo’s performance, but a tactical response to the circumstances of the match. With his team trailing by two goals and playing with 10 players, Postecoglou opted for a different setup in an attempt to turn the game around.
That adjustment ultimately paid off as Al-Nassr completed the comeback through Mane’s two goals. The result transformed a match which had initially appeared to be slipping away from Postecoglou’s side.
Bento’s red card had forced Al-Nassr to spend most of the contest with one fewer outfield player available. They were already behind when the dismissal left them facing an even greater challenge, but they managed to recover and claim all three points.
Ronaldo’s substitution was therefore made against the wider backdrop of a match that required Al-Nassr to adapt. Postecoglou’s explanation focused on the team’s need to change its approach rather than on the status of the Portugal forward.
The victory also came early in the 2026-27 season, when Ronaldo has scored once in Al-Nassr’s first two matches. His goal tally currently stands at one for the campaign, despite his involvement in the opening fixtures.
The match contained several of the central talking points surrounding Al-Nassr: Ronaldo’s role, Bento’s dismissal, the team’s response to going two goals behind and Mane’s decisive contribution.
Postecoglou’s decision to remove Ronaldo attracted immediate attention because of the forward’s prominence, and his angry reaction was noted after he left the pitch. However, the final outcome supported the manager’s tactical call, with Al-Nassr recovering from their early setbacks to beat Al-Ettifaq 3-2.
The explanation from Postecoglou provided the clearest account of why Ronaldo was benched, while Mane’s two-goal performance supplied the decisive evidence that the change had helped Al-Nassr find a route back into the game.
